


When The Sun Goes Down

by NeuroticChick



Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Investigations, Masturbation, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Revenge, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2020-03-26 11:06:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19004506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeuroticChick/pseuds/NeuroticChick
Summary: Nora is hell-bent on getting revenge on her sister's murderer, and our anti-hero wants to help.I really suck at summaries, but that's it in a nutshell!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, let me know what you think in the comments and give me some kudos if you enjoy this.

Nora finished leafing through the morning paper and returned it to the front page. She read the headline again; every day there was a new story about some superhero or vigilante, punishing the evil and saving the innocent. She turned around and poured herself a cup of coffee from the jug on the side. She still hadn’t gotten used to making coffee for one. 

She threw the paper into the trash and tied her hair into a messy bun on top of her head, grabbed her bag and walked out of her apartment. She had been under no illusion that she’d moved to a safe neighbourhood, she couldn’t afford that kind of luxury, but she thought she could be smart and stay safe. She’d hoped she’d be able to keep herself and her sister safe. How wrong she had been. 

‘Nora, you’re late again.’ Steve, her boss, pointed at the clock behind the counter before picking up a tray of dirty glasses and shoving them into Nora’s hands. 

‘Sorry, it won’t happen again.’ She started to walk back into the kitchen. 

‘That’s what you said last time.’

She held her tongue and walked through the kitchen doors and put the glasses next to the sink. She hated this job, but it was the only thing getting her out of bed in the morning. If she didn’t work she couldn’t make rent, and if she couldn’t make rent she would be out on the streets. She was stronger than that; she was too strong to give up on life all together. 

As she put tray after tray of glasses and plates through the dish washer and followed the mundane cycle of drying and stacking she wondered whether she had been the one that had died. She imagined that her own personal hell wouldn’t look to different to this. 

Her mind wandered, as it often did these days, to the moment she opened her apartment door to see two detectives waiting to give her the worst news of her life. Her sister, who’d been missing for a week, had been found. She knew that it wasn’t happy news just by the looks on their faces and the tone of their voices. They’d asked to come in and told her that she might want to sit down; she knew what was coming and she couldn’t sit down. 

She thought about the last conversation she’d had with her sister, it was before she went on a date with this new guy she’d been seeing. Nora had been worried at first, she didn’t know the guy, how could she be sure she’d be safe? But she’d let her go anyway; how dangerous could it be to go on a date with the son of one of the richest families in the state? Well, it could be deadly apparently. 

Before she knew what time it was her shift had ended and Nora was headed home to her empty apartment. She unlocked the door, switched on the lights and did her nightly sweep of the place. Nothing was out of place, as usual. She took a seat at the breakfast bar and switched the TV on as she heated up a meal in the microwave. By the time she had sat down to eat the news had started. 

More news about deaths in the city, global warming, political scandals, and vigilantes. She turned the TV off and poked at the unappetising meal in front of her. Where had the vigilantes and superheroes been when Elle had been in trouble? But she knew that Elle’s story wasn’t one that got noticed or reported on. Her story had been pretty far back in the paper the day after her body had been found, three column inches stating where and when she’d been found along with her name and her age. No one cared; it hadn’t even been on TV. As far as she was aware the police hadn’t even spoken to Elle’s date from the night she went missing, his family was far too powerful for the police to bother them with such an unimportant event. After all, what’s the life of an orphan really worth?

She had been told by the police that it looked as if Elle had fallen into the river on her walk home. Nora had tried to tell them that that wasn’t like her sister at all. She wouldn’t have walked home by the river, she was terrified of water. They hadn’t listened. Nora had seen the marks on her sister’s wrists when she went to identify her body, why hadn’t the police looked into that? Nora slid her half eaten meal into the bin and got her laptop out. 

She had been researching, some might call it stalking, Augustus (Gus for short) Belmont for weeks now. She knew everything about him by now: where he lived, where he liked to eat, where he liked to drink, the hotels he took his dates to, and the number of girls that had gone missing after they’d last been seen with him. Best of all, she knew where he was going to be two nights from now. 

Nora slipped out of her black slacks and white shirt and put on her black jeans, hoodie and boots. She kept her hair tied back and stuffed a wad of cash from the coffee can under the sink into her pocket before leaving the house again. 

It wasn’t only Gus Belmont she had been doing her research on these past weeks. She had also looked at how to get her hands on an unlicensed gun. All of the care she had put into keeping herself safe in this neighbourhood had gone out of the window the moment she realised there would be no justice for her sister. Before all of this she rarely went out at night, she definitely wouldn’t have walked the streets alone and she absolutely would not have strayed down dark alleys to find illegal businesses. 

She found the door she was looking for pretty quickly and entered the illegal gun shop. As she was walking over to the proprietor (what else should she call him?) she watched as the previous customer left. He was a big guy, kept his head down and only gave her a sideways glance on the way out. She hadn’t been looking to get a good look at him, she was goal orientated at this point and had no interest in falling on some criminal’s radar. 

‘Hi.’ She tried her best not to sound nervous.

‘What can I do for you?’ He was a greasy looking guy in his fifties, she guessed, and she fleetingly wondered whether he’d ever taken a shower. 

‘I need a gun…’

‘Yeah?’ He held his hands up, gesturing to his stock. ‘What kind?’

‘Something small.’ She looked around. ‘It’s just for… protection.’

‘Of course it is, sweetheart.’ He smiled at her and walked over to one of his many shelving units before producing a hand gun. 

Nora looked at it and had a moment of fleeting doubt. Did she really want to do this? Of course she did, if she couldn’t get justice for Elle she would get revenge. ‘Will this cover it?’ She slid a handful of the notes over to the man. 

‘It’s a little short, but maybe there’s another way you can pay the rest.’ He grinned at her and she knew exactly what he meant.

‘How about now?’ She slid a few notes over to him. 

‘Yeah, that’ll do it.’ Norah took the gun, stuffed it into the front pocket of her hoodie and turned away.

‘You call me any time you get lonely or scared, sweetheart. I’ll keep you safe.’

Nora quickly ducked out of the shop and started to make her way back to her apartment. She had been running on adrenaline the entire way there, but now she had done the deed and bought the gun she didn’t feel quite as brave. She turned out of the alley and almost bumped straight into a man. She mumbled a quick sorry before trying to walk around him, but he stepped to the side and blocked her. 

‘Excuse me.’ She stepped back and tried to get around him. 

‘You sure you know how to use that thing?’ He looked at the bulge in her pocket.

‘I don’t know what you mean…’ Nora’s voice was shaky and she wished she had the gun in hand. 

‘The gun you just bought.’ His voice was low and gravelly and she was sure she recognised it from somewhere. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. 

‘I know how to use it,’ she half-lied. She had been going to the firing range for weeks now, and she could hit a target well enough. She just wasn’t sure whether she could hit a moving target with the new gun she had just purchased. 

‘Did you even check that it worked before handing the money over?’ There was some humour to his tone now, even if it did remain low and severe. 

Nora sighed, she had no idea what he wanted. ‘Are you going to mug me, or what?’ She figured that was the most likely reason for stopping her on the street. She didn’t want to think of any other reason he might stop her, and certainly didn’t want to give him any ideas. 

‘I ain’t gonna mug you.’ He laughed and stroked his hand through his short, black hair. 

Nora opened her mouth to respond and then it hit her, she did know this guy. Well, not personally, but she’d seen him on the news and in the papers. Frank Castle, The Punisher. She thought about announcing that she knew who he was, but quickly thought better of it. ‘Well, it was nice to meet you, but I need to get going.’

He stepped aside and let her walk by. She checked behind her when she was a few feet away and noticed that he was still watching her. He watched until she turned the next corner. Elle didn’t have much further to go before she reached her apartment. She checked that she hadn’t been followed before she entered the building. She locked her apartment door behind her, put the chain across and carried out her nightly sweep of her living space for the second time that night before she went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Nora had been on high alert since she’d bought the gun. Every single noise she heard made her jump, and in a city like this there were a lot of noises. She sat up in bed waiting for the sun to come up and ran through the plan for the evening in her head. She had managed to get herself onto the list for the art exhibit Gus would be attending. She had gone through a friend of a friend and had insisted that her mother’s maiden name be used instead of her own surname. She doubted Gus would check the guest list and even if he did she doubted that he would even remember her sister’s surname, but she couldn’t take the chance. So tonight instead of Nora Aldridge she would be Nora Lee. 

She got out of bed and put on a pair of leggings and a thin hoodie, laced up her trainers and embarked on a jog. She hadn’t been jogging since her sister had gone missing, but she needed to fill up the day with something to take her mind off of what she would be doing later. She didn’t want to overthink things. 

Once she’d been showered she headed to the gun range for some more practice with her new weapon. She imagined Gus’ head on each one of the targets she shot. She hit a head shot on every single one of them and she morbidly smiled to herself. 

This wasn’t where she had seen herself a year ago. This time last year she had been in college studying architecture. She hadn’t been able to go back after the news about her sister; she didn’t have the capacity to concentrate on anything apart from her need for revenge. Any time she didn’t spend sleeping she spent planning how she would do it and practicing to ensure she could do it. There was just the one variable left now, could she actually pull the trigger on a real person?

Nora checked her watch, she needed to get back to her apartment and get ready for the event. She couldn’t go looking like she usually looked. She stopped at the drug store on the way home and picked up some make-up items, this really wasn’t her thing. The only reason she had any idea what she would need was from the times when her sister had insisted on making her over. She wasn’t entirely certain that she could pull of a presentable look without her help, but she was going to give it her best shot. She had to. 

Nora took the long route home, checking behind her every few paces to make sure she wasn’t being followed by anyone. She was so worried that Gus would have some idea what she was up to and would send one of his henchmen after her. She made it home without incident and hopped straight back in the shower to get herself ready. She couldn’t believe that the first person she would be making any effort for in her life was her sister’s killer. 

She applied a layer of mascara on each set of eyelashes and took a look at herself in the mirror. She hadn’t gone for anything fancy, she felt like she at least looked the part in a way. Her skin had that flawless make-up look and her cheeks were artificially rosy. She hadn’t thought about doing anything with her hair, she wouldn’t have known where to start, so she let her naturally wavy tresses hang loosely around her shoulders.

Nora paused in front of her sister’s closet. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to go through her things yet, so this would be the first time she’d opened the wardrobe since she’d gone missing. She decided that it would be best to do it quickly, her eye went straight to the garment she needed: a floor-length green silk dress. Elle and Nora had always been the same dress size since they were teenagers. They’d never shared clothes, Elle had been the girly one and Nora was barely out of her jeans and t-shirts. 

She took the dress from the hanger and slipped into it. It was a little loose for her, she hadn’t been eating properly recently, but it fit well enough. She tightened the thin straps of the dress and made sure she wouldn’t suffer a wardrobe malfunction. Nora choked back a tear as she thought about how proud her sister would be to see her looking like a lady. She slipped the gun into one of her sister’s oversized clutch bags; it had to be an oversized bag so that she could actually fit the gun in. 

Nora checked the time; her Uber would be arriving any minute. She slipped into a pair of high-heeled strappy shoes, something else she’d been practicing, and looked out of the window waiting for her ride. 

**

Nora stood outside the gallery for a few minutes, building up the courage to go in. She reminded herself that there was always the possibility Gus wouldn’t show, there were a dozen or so other society events happening that evening and he could easily choose to change his mind and go to one of those instead. She headed up to the front doors, had her name checked by the staff and headed into the party. 

She eagerly took one of the glasses of champagne and sipped it slowly. She wanted just enough to calm her nerves, but not so much that she wouldn’t be able to carry out the task at hand. Nora milled around and looked at the various pieces of art. If this were under any other circumstance she would have actually enjoyed herself, she loved visiting galleries. Elle and Nora had done that with their mom when they were younger, back when they still had a family. 

Nora stared intently at one piece in particular. It was painted in red hues and looked to be a mass of facial features in no particular order. She stepped closer, trying to figure out what it was. The eyes looked so familiar. She was snapped back to reality when she heard an all too familiar voice. She looked across the room and picked him out immediately. For the next hour she stayed one group of people away from him, waiting for any moment he might take himself away from his group of friends. 

She listened to his conversations, watched as he familiarly touched several different women, and followed his every move. She heard him let one of his friends know that he was headed to the roof for some air. Nora watched him go through the fire exit and waited a few minutes before she walked over that way, too. She tried not to walk too quickly, she didn’t want to arouse any suspicion. She reached out for the door when she was moments away and felt a large hand snap around her wrist. Before she knew what was happening she was pulled around the corner and her back met with the cold wall. 

‘What the hell…’ She snapped her head up only to come face to face with Frank Castle. 

‘I could ask you the same thing.’ He kept a firm grip on her wrist. 

‘Let me go.’ Her voice was panicked, not because she was afraid of Frank Castle, but because she knew she would miss her window if she didn’t act right then.

‘Not until you tell me why you’re following that man with a gun in your purse.’ He whipped the cutch out of her other hand. 

‘Give that back, I need it!’ She tried to reach for the bag, but had no joy. ‘I’ll scream…’

‘Then your cover’s blown, and I don’t think you want that. Now, tell me what’s going on.’

‘Why do you care? You don’t know me…’

‘Let’s just say I’m interested to know why a nice girl like you would have been buying an unlicensed firearm.’

Nora opened her mouth to tell him, but then she heard Gus come back through to the gallery and she couldn’t help but groan. Frank still had her firmly by the wrist, she surmised that she wasn’t going anywhere until she told him what was going on. ‘He killed my sister.’

‘And so you were just going to come here, to a public place, and shoot him?’

It hadn’t sounded so stupid in her head, but yes that had been the plan. All she could do in response was nod. 

‘Do you have any proof?’

‘Nothing that would hold up in court…’

‘I’m not leaving you here.’ He linked his arm through hers and walked her out via the fire exit. 

Nora thought about screaming, but figured it wouldn’t have helped her at all, so she kept up with his long strides until they were outside at the back of the gallery. She cursed him under her breath. ‘Now I have to come up with another plan…’

‘I’ll help you.’

She wasn’t sure whether she’d heard him right, she studied his face to see whether he was making fun of her.

‘If he did kill your sister, I’ll help you get your revenge.’


	3. Chapter 3

Nora had just finished the nightly sweep of the small apartment; she made her way through to the kitchen-living area and nearly jumped out of her skin to see a tall, dark figure stood at the window. She went to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth; instead she just stood there, panic frozen. 

‘You want to be more careful about your security.’ Frank locked the window and turned around. 

‘I am.’ She weaved past him to check the fastening. ‘I haven’t opened that window in weeks.’ She checked the lock. ‘And I check it every night.’ She made a b-line for the kitchen and grabbed a half-empty bottle of bourbon from one of the cabinets along with two glasses. ‘Want one?’

Frank nodded; he looked awkward stood in her living room. It was like he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. 

‘Make yourself at home.’ Nora handed him the glass and sat on the second-hand (more likely third or fourth-hand) beaten up sofa. 

Frank took the hint and sat next to her on the sofa – it was the only seating area in the room apart from the uncomfortable looking mismatched bar-stools at the breakfast bar. 

‘I take it you’re not just here to check my security arrangements or to give me a heart attack?’ She sipped her drink. 

‘Your sister’s not the only woman to go missing or turn up dead around Gus Belmont.’

‘I know.’ 

He gave her a sideways glance and swigged down the drink before placing the glass on the floor next to the sofa. He was surprised and impressed that she’d looked into it further than just her sister’s disappearance and death. ‘There have been at least five more.’

Nora nodded; she had only found evidence of three more. But it made sense that there would be more than that, there were probably more than five. A guy like him didn’t just start doing this recently. She wondered about all of the other women he’d taken the lives of, the number of families he’d left distraught. 

‘Seems to be one every year or so.’

‘And he’s never been investigated.’ Nora finished her own drink and went back into the kitchen for the bottle. She topped up both of their glasses with double what they’d had for their first round. 

‘His name doesn’t make it into the police reports.’

‘You’ve seen the police reports?’ Nora hadn’t only been able to rely on the scraps of information she had been able to dig up on the internet and from the families and friends of the other suspected victims. 

‘I think he did it.’ His voice was low and severe. 

‘Did you see my sister’s report?’ Nora swallowed hard, she wasn’t sure she could hear the details. 

‘I did.’

‘Was there any mention of marks?’ She took a sip of her drink. ‘I saw marks on her wrists when I identified the…’ She couldn’t bring herself to say “body”. ‘When I saw her… but the police didn’t look into it.’

‘No.’

They sat in silence for a few minutes; Frank wasn’t exactly a master of conversation. Nora considered how Frank might help her with her revenge, other than using his contacts to get information on Gus, and she wondered whether he was planning on doing the dirty work for her. She thought about all of the headlines and news segments she’d seen, he was no stranger to exacting revenge, but this wasn’t his fight. 

‘I can do it myself, I want to.’ Nora traced her thumb over the rim of her glass. 

‘You can’t. It’s too dangerous.’ He shook his head. 

‘It’s not your responsibility. She wasn’t your sister.’ Nora’s attention was drawn over to the one personal item in the room – a picture of her and Elle. It had been taken a few years previous, they looked so happy and carefree. 

Frank’s gaze lingered on the photograph for a few seconds before he stood up. ‘You shouldn’t have to do this.’

‘I don’t care what you think I should or shouldn’t have to do, you don’t even know me.’ She stood up to match his position, but she was small and insignificant next to him. ‘I’m grateful that you want to help me, but I don’t need you.’

‘You’ll get yourself killed.’

‘So long as I take him with me, I don’t care.’ She wasn’t sure where this courage had come from. He was so much bigger than her and at least twice the strength. 

Frank almost laughed, he couldn’t help himself; the thought of someone as small as her being able to kill someone just seemed so ridiculous to him. ‘How’re you gonna get close enough to try?’

‘I’m sure I’ll think of something.’ Nora walked over to the front door and opened it. ‘Thank you for your help.’ She tapped her foot, hoping he’d be gentlemanly enough to just leave. She knew she wouldn’t be able to physically make him do anything he didn’t want to do, at this point she was relying on any scraps of manners he might have. 

He walked over to the door and stood inches away from her. ‘Don’t do anything stupid.’

She wasn’t sure whether it was the alcohol or how close he was to her, but she went a little weak at the knees as he stood there, his body so close to hers. She felt completely ashamed at the thoughts going through her head as she imagined what his hands would feel like on her body, what he would look like naked and whether he was having the same thoughts about her. She was thankful when he walked through the door before her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. 

Nora closed the door quickly, locked it and slid the chain over. She did another sweep of the apartment before stripping off her work clothes and flopping down onto her bed. She groaned and rolled over onto her stomach – how could she have let herself develop a crush on Frank Castle? She buried her face into her pillow and decided she would blame her horniness on the alcohol. It had to be, right? She tried to get the image of him out of her head, the image of his strong body up against hers. It had been so long since she’d been intimate with anyone, and even then she’d had a total of two sexual encounters in her whole life, she longed for the feeling of his arms around her waist, or his hands stroking up her thigh. 

As Nora fantasised about how it would feel to have Frank touch her she rolled onto her back and slipped a hand down into her underwear, she bit her lip when she felt the moisture between her legs. The smell of bourbon still lingered in the air and when she closed her eyes she imagined it was coming from him and not from her. 

Nora slowly stroked two fingers over her wetness before circling her clit and groping at her breast with her free hand. Her toes curled into the sheets beneath her as she picked up her pace and let his name escape her lips in a light whisper. 

She continued to circle her clit and she couldn’t help but move her hips up in a gentle thrusting motion the closer she brought herself to orgasm. Her breath hitched in her throat and she squeezed her thighs together as she felt the sweet release ripple through her body.

‘Shit,’ was all she could say once her pleasure had subsided. She told herself she couldn’t have those kinds of thoughts ever again. He wasn’t the sort of guy she really wanted in her bed or anywhere near her life.


	4. Chapter 4

Nora nursed a dirty martini in the upmarket bar she’d spent the past two Thursday evenings at. She looked over her shoulder as another group of people filtered into the bar, still no sign of him. He had been in around this time the week before, it was just across the street from his apartment, and she’d hoped to find him make regular use of the place. She was kicking herself now for chickening out of approaching him the week before. 

Frank hadn’t followed here the previous week and she had been just as careful this week to take a convoluted route so as not to be followed. She didn’t need someone to protect her, she needed to do this. She needed to do this herself, for Elle. 

She turned her attention back to her drink and took a small sip, the bartender all but ignored her – she’d told him she was waiting for a friend, the same excuse she’d used with last week’s bartender. Nora crossed one leg over another and readjusted her little black dress so she wasn’t showing an obscene amount of leg. 

‘Were you here last week?’ 

Nora looked over and opened her mouth ready to answer in a way that would make them swiftly leave her alone, but her voice caught in her throat when she realised it was him. She recovered her awkward stutter with a smile. ‘I was, and it looks like I’ve been stood up again.’ She gestured to her phone. 

‘Tinder?’ He leaned on the bar and asked for his usual. ‘You’ll never find true love on that thing.’

‘Who says I’m looking for true love?’ She looked over the rim of her martini glass as she took another sip. The alcohol helped to quell the sickness she felt in her stomach from flirting with this man. 

Gus took in her appearance and smiled. He had a charming smile and Nora could see why her sister would have fallen for him. ‘Can I buy you a drink..?’ He left his question open, as a prompt for her to give her name. 

‘Anne.’ She stuck her hand out. It was her mom’s name, and the first one that came to mind after her own and her sister’s. 

‘Gus.’ He shook her hand lightly and gestured to the bartender for another drink for the lady. 

‘Shouldn’t you be getting back to your date?’ Nora drank the remainder of her first drink and looked over his shoulder, trying to pick out which one of the impossibly gorgeous women would be his date that night. 

‘What makes you think I have one?’

Nora smiled. ‘Guys like you always have a date.’

‘Guys like me?’ He rested his hand in his trouser pocket. ‘You know a lot about me, do you?’

‘I can guess.’ She sipped at her drink and tried to recover from her slip-up. She did, indeed, know quite a bit about him. 

‘Humour me.’ He pulled up a barstool and joined her. 

‘Wealthy parents?’ She waited for him to confirm or deny, he did neither. ‘Private school, no, boarding school. Ivy League college. And I bet you live in one of those apartments most people in this city could only dream of owning…’

He shrugged and sipped his drink. ‘Would you like to see it?’

Nora’s face showed her confusion. 

‘My apartment? It’s not far.’ His gaze held hers, one pair of icy blue eyes staring into her deep brown orbs. 

Nora had to stop the panic she felt in her chest from rising up and forming an expression to go with it on her face. She nonchalantly took a sip of the fresh drink he’d bought her before giving her answer. ‘Well, if it isn’t far.’ She felt at her clutch bag and tried to calm her nerves. 

They finished their drinks, although Nora wished she hadn’t; she wanted as clear a head as possible for the task at hand, but it would have been rude not to and she couldn’t risk him having any suspicions about her. 

**

His apartment was neat, too neat for your average bachelor. But he wasn’t the average bachelor, was he? She mused about how many times he had his cleaner come in to dust the immaculate surfaces, and then her mind wandered to whether the cleaner had ever cleaned up any blood stains without question. 

She mused at the small art collection that decorated his walls as he poured them some drinks from his bar – of course he had a fully stocked bar in his apartment. It was a stark contrast to her apartment, practically crumbling at the corners with barely any personal or precious items – orphans don’t inherit even the most worthless treasures. 

‘Here.’ He held out the glass of scotch. 

‘Thanks.’ She smiled and wondered how much he’d spent on that bottle of scotch – she surmised it would be more than she made in a single shift. 

‘You like art?’ He sat back on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other, with his ankle resting on his opposite knee. 

‘Just to look at.’ She smiled and took a seat next to him. It was taking every ounce of control she had not to just shoot him in the head there and then. 

‘You look so familiar, do I know you from somewhere?’ He squinted a little, as if trying to place her. 

‘I don’t think we run in the same circles.’ She tried her hardest to think of a way to change the subject; she didn’t want to talk about herself. She didn’t really want to talk at all, but she needed him to let his guard down. ‘Have you lived here long?’ She knew it was a clunky attempt at a change of topic. 

‘A few years, yeah.’ He laughed, took a sip of his drink and set the glass down on the over designed coffee table in front of them. ‘But I don’t think you came up here to talk about real estate, did you?’ He placed a hand on her bare knee. 

‘No.’ Nora reached out for the clutch bag, so much for taking it slow and easing herself in. 

Gus placed a hand over hers, preventing her from opening the clasp. ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Nora.’ 

She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but the words stuck in her throat as she realised he’d used her name – her real name. The name she hadn’t given him. 

‘Do you really think I’m that stupid?’ He smiled at her. ‘You think I didn’t recognise who you were from the moment I saw you?’ 

The last thing Nora remembered as a sharp pain over the back of her head before everything went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delayed update, I’ve been on holiday! I hope you enjoy this (if anyone’s still reading this)!

Nora groaned; she could still feel a dull ache at the back of her head. She forgot where she was and what had happened for a moment. As her eyes fluttered open she half expected to wake up in her own living room after a night of heavy drinking. But as she came around she was instantly reminded of her location and situation. She blinked as she took in the expensive furniture, which had been carefully curated to express his sense of style, and the art on the walls. She brought a hand up to the back of her head and rubbed at the bump that had formed.

‘Finally…’

Nora stiffened as she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

‘Thirsty?’

Nora looked up at the glass of water in front of her face. She shook her head, there was no way she was going to accept anything from him. She had a million questions in her head, and twice as many profanities she wanted to shout at him, but any words she thought of just caught in her throat. She was scared. This whole time she’d been planning and preparing and she didn’t once stop to think how she would feel in this situation. As angry as she was at him, she was just as angry at herself for allowing this to happen.

‘How..?’

‘How did I know?’ He laughed.

Nora snapped her mouth shut and surveyed her surroundings one more time. She wasn’t physically restrained, but she knew the door was too far, he was too strong and there was no point in attempting to make a run for it.

‘You look a lot like your sister.’ He sat on the coffee table in front of her and rested his hand on her knee.

Nora’s stomach tightened and she held down the rage she felt building inside. How dare he lay a hand on her, how dare he be so familiar.

‘And she showed me a picture of you once.’ He squeezed at her knee before removing his hand. ‘I never forget a pretty face.’

Nora looked to the side, her clutch bag was still next to her. She looked back over at Gus as he stood up from the coffee table and walked back over to the bar. She took this as her only chance to retrieve the weapon from her bag; her fingers quickly grabbed for the bag and opened the clasp.

‘If you’re looking for this…’ He held up the small weapon with one finger before setting it down on top of the bar. ‘I thought it best you not be armed.’

Nora swore under her breath and started to look for the next best thing, her phone, but that was nowhere to be seen either.

‘Why would a nice girl like you be carrying a gun?’ He picked up his glass and the gun and walked over to one of the piece of art on the wall. He looked over his shoulder at her as he pulled the painting off of the wall to reveal a safe. ‘Not feeling talkative? That’s okay, we’ve got plenty of time.’

Nora watched as he turned his attention back to the safe. She had no way of seeing the combination from where she was sat, but she had the stupid idea to try to overpower him while his back was turned. Adrenaline took over as she quickly rose to her feet and charged at him, she threw all of her weight into her shoulder and jolted him towards the wall.

All her effort actually resulted in was knocking the drink to the floor and then being held up against the wall with his hand at her throat.

‘Why are you trying to spoil such a pleasant evening?’ His eyes gleamed and his grip tightened around her throat.

Nora scratched at his hand, trying to loosen it. She could barely breathe and she desperately wanted to get some oxygen into her lungs.

Gus loosened his grip and laughed as she bent down, gasping for air. ‘You only have yourself to blame for that.’ He picked up the glass from the floor, which amazingly hadn’t smashed.

‘And what did my sister do to deserve what she got?’ The words were raspy and hoarse.

‘Do you miss her?’

‘Of course I fucking miss her.’ Nora managed to rise to her feet. She noticed that she was now much closer to the door. She sidled towards it, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Gus was fixing himself a new drink.

‘I miss her, too. It’s a shame she’s gone.’

Nora kept her eyes on him as she tried to undo the latch. Unfortunately for her there was no background noise in the apartment to hide the click. He turned to look at her and Nora hurriedly pulled the handle down only to see she’d not taken the other locks into account – it didn’t open and before she knew it she had a hand wrapped tightly around her wrist and she was being flung back onto the sofa. She quickly sat up and flung her arms out to hit him. She winced when he slapped a hand across her face and her natural reflex was to scratch out at him; she caught his neck and drew a little blood.

That was a small and short-lived victory for her. His hands went back to her throat and she felt her body being pushed further and further into the plush sofa. She reached out again, scratching at his hand and anything else she could reach. His grip intensified and Nora started to see black spots in her vision. She continued to scratch at his arms, he held his face too far away from her reach, but it did nothing to stop him.

As the black spots in her vision increased and her airway became more restricted she had the increasing realisation that this was it for her. This was how it was going to end. She didn’t have the energy to continue lashing out at him, her hands now just gripped at the fabric on the sofa as she willed herself to stay conscious.

Just as Nora’s eyes were closing she heard a “thump” and the grip around her throat disappeared. She could hear a scuffle in the room, but couldn’t fully comprehend what was going on. She gipped at her bruised throat and tried to gasp in as much air as possible. Once her vision came back she could see a large, dark figure on the other side of the room and the seemingly lifeless body of Gus beneath him.

‘Frank?’ Nora wheezed his name as she rose to her feet, she was unsteady and her head was still light.

Frank turned his attention towards her, she was almost certain she saw some concern cross his face but it might have been disappointment and irritation.

‘Is he..?’ Nora tried to get a better look at him. As she stepped forward Frank wrapped his hand around her upper arm and hurried her towards the door.

‘Let’s go.’

Nora looked back into the room, she had to know whether her sister’s murderer was still breathing. If he wasn’t, she wanted to finish the job. Her mouth widened when she saw he’d managed to get to his feet, he was reaching into the open safe and all she could manage as he retrieved the gun was to say ‘Frank’ in a panicked voice.

Frank turned around, but he wasn’t quick enough. Gus fired the weapon and sent a bullet straight into Frank’s shoulder. The next few minutes were a blur for Nora, the shock of what had just transpired mixed with the fogginess she felt from almost being choked to death didn’t help. Before she knew what was happening they’d made it down the stairwell and into Frank’s van – she had no idea how he was able to drive after just being shot.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update has taken so long, I've barely had a moment to myself these past few weeks!

Nora splashed her face with the cold water and looked up into the faded motel mirror. Mascara now streaked down her face and her lipstick was patchy and smeared – in short, she looked a state. She pumped some hand soap into her palm and scrubbed at her face, in that moment removing her makeup seemed like the most important thing. 

As she screwed her eyes shut to prevent the soap from irritating them her mind flashed through the events of the evening. Her throat felt tight where she’d been choked earlier and the back of her head still throbbed. 

Once she and Frank and left the apartment building she’d gone into a strange state between being capable of taking instructions and not really knowing what she was doing – it wasn’t something she’d ever experienced before. She had spent the car journey to the motel staring at Frank’s bullet wound in his shoulder and wondering whether she should offer to drive – but not actually being able to form any words to ask whether he wanted to or whether he was okay. 

He hadn’t said a word until they had pulled up outside of the motel office, and when he had he kept it short and sweet: “get us a room” as he’d handed her a roll of money. She still wasn’t sure how she’d managed to successfully walk into the office, have small talk and book them a room for 2 nights – but she had and here she was now, scrubbing her face red-raw. 

Nora reached for the towel and dried her face off. She looked back in the mirror; the soap had done a good enough job. She unzipped the little black dress; the shoes had come off earlier (though she couldn’t exactly remember when or where). She studied the bruises she hadn’t noticed before: one on her arm and another on her thigh. She slipped the t-shirt Frank had thrown at her over her small frame and pulled them hem down as far as it would go – just above her mid-thigh. Her hair remained hanging loose around her shoulders. She picked up the dress and walked back into the main room before discarding it on the bed closest to the bathroom. 

Frank sat on the other bed; he’d removed his shirt and was struggling to remove the bullet from his shoulder. She stood there observing for a few minutes before she walked towards him. 

‘Want me to have a go?’

He nodded, handed her the tweezers and placed his hands either side of his thighs. 

Nora winced as she looked at the state of his wound. She’d never seen anything like it before, she thought this sort of thing would make her feel sick and she was surprised when she realised she didn’t feel nauseated at all – just nervous of hurting him. She tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned in from next to him. He didn’t flinch or wince, the only sound she thought she heard him make was a little grunt of discomfort. 

Nora stood back in frustration at her unsuccessful attempt and her eyes landed on the bottle of bourbon on the floor next to him. 

‘Mind if I have a little Dutch courage?’

‘Go ahead.’

Nora took a good glug from the bottle and went in for a second attempt. She realised that the angle wasn’t working for her and instead stood in front of him. It was an extremely inappropriate moment for it, but she had that same stirring in her stomach that she’d had when he’d stood closely to her in her apartment when she kicked him out. She swallowed and tried to clear her head, which is difficult to do when you’re in shock and you’ve just added alcohol to the mix. 

She quickly realised that she needed to get closer and she didn’t realise that she’d straddled his thigh until she was already there and spied the uncomfortable look on his face. 

Nora steadied herself by pressing her free hand against his chest as she went in for a fourth time with the tweezers. The alcohol had certainly calmed her nerves and her inly focus was on the task at hand. She felt his whole body tense as she fished around for the bullet. She wasn’t sure how long it took, but eventually she managed to retrieve the offending object. She placed the tweezers on the bed and suddenly remembered the position in which she was standing. She quickly removed herself from his personal space and took another sip of the bourbon. 

‘Sorry…’ She put the bottle back down. She could feel her cheeks flushing and she worried that he could read her thoughts right off of her face. He had been so chivalrous and selfless and all she could think about was how his hands would feel on her skin.

‘What for?’ He asked indifferently as he reached for the first aid kit in his bag.

‘I… I’ve never done anything like that before. Sorry if I… hurt you.’

He stared at her a moment before returning his focus to the first aid kit. ‘You didn’t hurt me.’

‘I’m sorry I got you involved in this whole mess in the first place…’

‘Don’t worry about it.’ He barely winced as he patched a dressing over the wound in his shoulder. ‘How’s your neck?’

Nora traced a finger over the darkening bruise over her throat. ‘It’s fine.’ She shook her head. ‘It could be worse…’ She closed her eyes and saw flashes of her sister’s body in the morgue. She shook her head and sat down on the bed opposite Frank. ‘I think he would’ve killed me…’

Frank nodded and picked up the bottle of bourbon, he took a large sip and handed the bottle back to Nora. 

‘I need to go home.’ She took a sip. ‘I need to get some things…’

‘You can’t.’ His voice was curt and dismissive. ‘That’s the first place he’ll look for you.’

She nodded, she knew he was right. But did he expect her to stay here forever?


	7. Chapter 7

Nora gasped for air as she sat bolt upright in bed. She blinked a few times, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings of the motel room, before remembering where she was and how she’d got there. She touched her hand to her neck and winced, the events of the night were now at the forefront of her mind and she reached for the bottle of water on the night stand. Turning her head, she looked cautiously over at the bed next to hers – she’d hoped that he’d be sound asleep so that she could live without the embarrassment of him knowing that she was an adult still having bad dreams. No such luck. 

‘You okay?’

She nodded and tried to smile, but it did nothing to cover up her anxiety. 

‘Earlier…’

‘It’s not that.’ She hadn’t meant to snap, but that’s how the words came out as she shuffled into the bathroom to splash her face with water. 

Frank’s eyes followed her back to her bed; he had a look of concern mixed with inquiry. 

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…’ She shook her head. ‘I could really do with a sleeping pill about now.’

‘They’re no good for you.’ He shook his head. 

Nora swallowed down the bratty response that had brewed in her brain and instead rolled her eyes. ‘Did I say anything? …In my sleep?’

He didn’t immediately respond, instead he just sat there watching her. 

‘It’s been a while since anyone’s been in the position to let me know.’ She looked down and picked at her finger nails. If she’d said something in her sleep, she’d rather know about it. 

‘You kept saying “mom.”’ 

Nora closed her eyes; she hadn’t had that one in a while. Not since she was a teenager. ‘I’m sorry if I woke you.’

‘You didn’t.’

‘I don’t usually have bad dreams (the sleeping pills help take care of that, she thought); you must think I’m ridiculous…’ She shook her head and let out a defeatist laugh. 

‘I have them all the time...’

Nora tilted her gaze towards him. She could only imagine what his bad dreams consisted of. ‘Our… My parents died in a car accident when we were 9.’ She looked back down at her fingers, she hadn’t planned on telling him this but she needed to get the imagery from her dream out of her mind. ‘We were in the car with them… Dad lost control… the… we got stuck inside.’ She rubbed at her throat again; she could almost taste the lake water, like it just happened yesterday. ‘Elle and I managed to get out… They… they didn’t make it.’

Nora went to reach for her water bottle again, but her eyes settled on the bourbon from earlier in the evening. She slid down onto the floor and rested her back against her bed as she took a large gulp. 

‘It had just been the two of us after that, me and Elle against the world.’

‘No other family?’

Nora shook her head. ‘Dad was an only child and mom… she never spoke about her family.’ She took another swig. 

Frank took the bottle away from her and took a drink himself before passing it back. 

‘I’ve lost everyone I ever loved; you can’t understand what that feels like…’ She looked up at his face and cringed at her choice of words. ‘I mean, I know you can… I meant the general “you.”’ She took another drink and rested her head back. ‘… other people, with their perfect families and happy childhoods…’ 

‘I’m sorry…’

‘Don’t.’ Nora shook her head. ‘Don’t feel sorry for me; that’s not what I meant, that’s not what I want. People have it a lot worse than me. I just want justice for my sister. She didn’t deserve… she was always such a good person, nothing ever dimmed her shine. I wish it… It should’ve been me…’ She ran her fingers through her hair and bowed her head. 

‘Don’t say that.’ Frank stooped down to her level and placed a comforting hand on her knee. ‘It shouldn’t have been anyone…’

Nora nodded. ‘She was the good one, though…’

‘He won’t get away with it.’

Nora raised her head to look in his eyes; she could see that he meant it. She felt her heart start to beat a little faster and she felt a warmth at her core – it must’ve been the booze. She was suddenly hyper aware of the hand on her knee and the electricity it seemed to be sending through her. She leaned a little closer to him and placed her hand on top of his. 

‘Thank you.’ Nora’s words were breathy and her brain was giving her all sorts of contradictory instructions. She placed a hand on his strong jaw and leaned in for a kiss. Her lips pressed firmly against hers, and she felt him reciprocate for a moment before pulling away. 

‘You don’t need to thank me like that.’ He shook his head. 

‘I know.’ She leaned in, her lips just inches from his again. ‘You’re a good man, Frank. I know you’d never take advantage of me.’ She kissed him again, this time he let her. ‘I can make my own decisions.’ Nora straddled Frank’s lap and held her mouth just away from his. ‘But if you want me to stop…’

Frank’s hand trailed down to the curve of her back and Nora took this as her signal to continue. She kissed him deeply and his grip firmed, pulling her closer to his body. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d been intimate with anyone, but any apprehension had been erased the moment he’d pulled her in closer and the rest came naturally.

Frank lifted himself to his feet, Nora’s legs wrapped around his waist, and he laid her down on her bed. He kissed just above the waist band of her underwear as he pulled the garment down her shapely legs. He continued his kisses and trailed them further up her stomach as he pushed her t-shit up and over her breasts. 

Nora bit her lip at the sensations dancing over her skin and let out a quiet whimper. She pushed herself up on her elbows and took in the sight of him as he littered kisses over her bare skin. She managed to manoeuvre the t-shirt over her head and unclipped her bra before pulling him further up the bed so she could peel his t-shirt off of his torso. She smiled to herself at the sight of his manly physique before expertly rolling him onto his back and climbing on top of him. 

She bent down to kiss him as her hands unfastened his pants. His hands rested on her bare hips and he traced a hand over her stomach and then in between her legs. He grunted involuntarily as he felt the wetness. He dipped two fingers into her wetness and enjoyed the look on her face as she closed her eyes and bit her lip.

Nora could barely concentrate on anything as the two fingers moved in and out of her pussy and his thumb circled her clit. She spread her legs a little further and moved her hips in small circular motions in rhythm with his touch. It didn’t take long until she felt her whole body flush in a gentle wave. She held onto his uninjured shoulder to brace herself for the euphoric feeling as her orgasm ripped through her body. 

She took a moment to recover from the waves of pleasure before she positioned Frank’s cock at her now-soaked folds. Nora worked herself down his length slowly, adjusting to his size, and looked up to the ceiling as she eased up and down a few times. 

Frank’s hands rested on Nora’s thighs, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her perfectly proportioned body as she gently glided up and down. He stroked his hands up to her hips and fluidly switched their positions so that he was looking down on her. 

Nora wrapped her legs around his waist and enjoyed the increased pace as he thrust in and out of her. He buried his face in her neck, kissing along her collar bone, avoiding the bruised area. Nora pulled him deeper into her as she tightened her legs around his waist. She held onto his upper arms as she felt her second orgasm of the night build. Her back arched and she heard Frank grunt, she knew he was getting closer, the feeling of him tightening inside of her tipped her over the edge and for the second time that night she felt herself lose control as their orgasms peaked in unison.


	8. Chapter 8

Nora squinted at the early sunshine gleaming through the gap in the cheap curtains. The fabric of the curtains only kept the glare of the sun away, the room as fully visible. She hadn’t slept a wink, she’d just laid there all night. Her mind swinging between thoughts of her sister and thoughts of Frank. She felt her heartrate increase and her chest start to tighten. The happy memories of her sister had been replaced with feelings of anger towards the man who’d taken her away. She looked over her shoulder at a peaceful-looking Frank. She wondered how a man like that could sleep so soundly. After everything he’d been through, everything he’d done and everything he’d seen. 

She slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake him, and padded through to the bathroom. The cold water felt refreshing on her skin, but she desperately wanted to brush her teeth and get a proper shower. Her fingers absentmindedly touched at the sore spot on her neck and her stomach felt sick at the memory of Gus holding her down – or maybe it was all that bourbon she’d had the night before. Nora quickly lunged for the toilet as her stomach rejected last night’s binge drinking. She knelt there a little longer than needed, feeling sorry for herself and cursing herself for getting into that state. Again. At that moment the gross looking shower didn’t seem so bad, and the cheap motel soap seemed like a better alternative to staying in her current state. 

Nora wrapped a towel around her body and wiped the steam from the mirror, her eyes were dark and her complexion left a lot to be desired. The choice of attire left a lot to be desired – the dress from last night or Frank’s t-shirt. Neither were any good for the daytime. She settled on the dress and decided she’d just have to borrow Frank’s jacket. Now that she was clean the only thing on her mind, other than revenge (but that was pretty much her baseline these days), was coffee. Lots of coffee. 

Frank was still sleeping, so she quietly took his jacket from the back of the chair and stealthily exited the room. She had no idea where she was. She hadn’t paid any attention the night before when they drove here and she didn’t see anything familiar. The clock on her phone told her that it was 6:30, she surmised that any self-respecting diner would be open at this time. She was right. 

No one took any notice of her when she walked in and she felt a little less self-conscious about her attire. There were a few people dotted around the diner, lost in their own lives or half asleep – that suited her just fine. Nora walked straight over to the counter. 

‘What can I get ya, sweetheart?’ The middle aged woman gave her a half smile as she looked her up and down. 

Nora wrapped the jacket a little tighter around herself and opened her mouth to respond. She realised she had no idea how Frank took his coffee. ‘Three coffee’s to go, please. One with cream.’

The waitress nodded and reached for the to-go cups.

Nora looked around and was pleased to see sachets of sugar. She grabbed three, just in case. Frank may have a sweet tooth, how would she know? ‘Two blueberry muffins as well.’ She counted out the money from her clutch bag and left enough for a decent tip before grabbing her items and making a swift exit. She didn’t even want to know what the waitress thought of her. She must look ridiculous in her little black dress and heels with Frank’s oversized jacket over the top. 

Nora held the bag of muffins under her arm as she awkwardly fiddled to get the key card into the door. She hadn’t really thought this through, but she was amazed that she’d managed to complete the task of opening the door without spilling hot coffee all over herself. That little victory was short lived when she felt a hand wrap tightly around her upper arm and yank her into the room. She managed to keep her balance and just dropped the muffins. She spun around to see a less-than-pleased Frank staring back at her, gun in hand. 

‘What the Fuck, Frank?’ Nora unceremoniously slammed the cups down on the side table and bent down to pick up the muffins. ‘You scared the shit out of me…’

‘I scared you?’ He tucked the gun into the waistband of his trousers and shook his head. 

‘Yes!’ She rubbed at her upper arm. ‘Funnily enough I’m a little on edge after almost being strangled to death…’

‘I didn’t know where you were, you can’t just go off.’ He sat in one of the chairs. ‘I thought something had happened…’

Nora took a breath and tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘Sorry.’ She handed him a muffin as a peace offering. ‘I needed caffeine.’

‘Are we expecting company?’ He looked at the three cups on the table. 

‘I didn’t know how you took yours.’ She picked up one of the black coffees and took the sachets of sugar out of her pocket, leaving all three of them for him next to the two remaining cups. ‘One of those has cream.’

‘Thanks.’ 

She was sure she almost saw a smile. Nora shrugged off the jacket and sat contently on the bed with her coffee. 

‘About last night…’

Nora smiled and shook her head. ‘We don’t need to have the talk, Frank. I’m not a child, I know what it meant, or rather what it didn’t mean.’ She took a sip from her cup and savoured the flavour. ‘I may be a little rusty, but I know how this goes.’

‘I like you, but…’

‘It’s fine.’ She smiled. ‘You may have been my white knight last night, but I’m a little old to believe in fairy tales.’

They sat in silence. Nora finished her coffee and took the second black coffee from the table next to Frank. 

‘Do we have a plan?’ She looked over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. 

‘You could say that.’

‘Is it a plan, or just use force and see where that gets you?’

He shrugged. Nora couldn’t help but laugh a little, even at a macabre situation such as this. 

‘I’m going to need a change of clothes…’ She almost curtseyed, pulling the skirt of the dress out slightly. ‘This isn’t exactly appropriate attire.’

Frank set his empty cup down on the table. ‘You won’t.’ He started going through the various items in his bag. 

‘It’s not exactly practical.’

‘You’re not coming…’

‘Am I having déjà vu? We’ve had this discussion before, it’s my battle not yours.’ 

‘It’s too dangerous.’

‘I don’t care, she was my sister. I don’t care if I get hurt.’ She put his jacket back on, grabbed her bag and stormed towards the door.

Frank was too fast for her, before she knew what was happening he was blocking the only exit with his large frame. ‘You’re already hurt.’ He pulled the jacket away from her neck to emphasise the mark around her throat. ‘I won’t let that happen again.’

‘You barely know me, you don’t have to pretend to care about my safety just because we fucked.’

‘I do care, and you’re not coming.’ He grabbed her wrist and snapped a pair of handcuffs on her before carrying her into the bathroom and attaching the other side to the towel rail. 

Nora opened her mouth to protest again, but she was met with the bathroom door being slammed and shortly thereafter she heard the door to their room open and close. She thought about screaming for help, but she had no intention of involving the police in this in any way. Instead she sat there and futilely attempted to squeeze her wrist through the cuff.


	9. Chapter 9

She winced and looked down at the redness around her wrist. It was no use, she couldn’t squeeze her wrist through the cuff, no matter how hard she tried, and she was far too squeamish to break her thumb – she’d seen people do that in movies before, but the thought made her feel sick and she wasn’t sure she could inflict that kind of pain on herself. With a huff, she sat back against the wall, screwed her eyes shut and kicked out at the bath. She had no concept of time in there, but it felt like hours. She hadn’t noticed the coldness of the tile floor before now, but now it was all she could think about. The dress did little to warm her legs, so she reached up and dragged one of the towels to the floor to sit on.

It was that moment when her eyes landed on the towel rail itself. She had been so focussed on freeing herself from the cuffs, she hadn’t thought about freeing the cuffs from the towel rail. She looked around the bathroom floor for anything that might help, anything at all… nothing. She fiddled with the attachment that hid the screws from view and listened to it rattle loosely against the rail as it came loose. She was pleased to see that the rail was as shoddily fixed as everything else in this motel and realised that, with a little effort, she was able to loosen the screws with just her fingers (and a lot of patience). 

Just as she was about to jump for joy and congratulate herself on her extreme cleverness and resourcefulness, she heard the door of the motel room open. Without a second thought, she rose to her feet and stormed out of the bathroom. Nora shoved her full weight at Frank as she pushed him back with both hands. 

‘How dare you!’ She shoved again, he barely moved. He just stood there, looking at her curiously. That just served to piss her off a little more. ‘You can’t just chain people up like animals!’ 

She went to push him again, but he grabbed her wrists and twisted her around so that she wasn’t facing him anymore, while still having hold of her arms.  
‘Get off.’ She struggled, but could barely move. 

‘Not until you calm down.’ His voice wasn’t strained or angry. 

‘Okay.’ She let her body relax a little and took a few deep breaths.

Frank slowly released her arms and took a step back. 

‘Can you unlock this?’ She held her arm up, the metal of the cuffs clinking as she did so. 

He nodded and took the key out of his pocket. Nora cursed herself for feeling a shiver run down her back as he held her wrist gently in his hand. Once he had unlocked the cuffs he ran his thumb over the redness. 

‘I’m sorry,’ he placed the cuffs down on the table and reached for a bag next to the door. ‘I just didn’t want you following me, it isn’t safe.’

‘How many times do I need to tell you that I’m not your responsibility?’ Nora pulled the hem of the dress down, trying to keep any dignity in this dress was proving difficult. It had been useful to attract a murderous playboy, but Nora was pretty sick of it now. 

‘I thought you could use a change of clothes.’ He held the bag out for her. ‘I went to your place, I hope you don’t mind.’

Nora studied his face as she slowly accepted the bag. She didn’t want to come off as too grateful, he had locked her up in the bathroom for god only knows how long. She was, in fact, extremely grateful and she couldn’t help a little half-smile appear on her lips. ‘Thanks.’ 

‘No problem.’ He rubbed at his chest and let out a low chuckle. ‘You’re pretty strong for such a little girl.’

‘I barely moved you.’ Nora shrugged as she rifled through the bag, retrieving a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. ‘And I’m not a “little girl”, I’m a woman.’

‘Okay.’ He nodded and sat on his own bed. 

‘Did you go anywhere else?’ She tried to hide the redness on her cheeks when she realised he’d packed her some underwear too. She told herself she was being silly, he’d seen her naked after all (and the rest). 

He nodded. 

Nora couldn’t help but feel irritated again, it was like getting blood from a stone. She wondered whether he’d always been a man of few words, or whether that was something he’d developed after what had happened to his family. She headed into the bathroom and quickly dressed herself in the fresh clothes. She was so pleased to be out of that dress. She walked back into the room and paused above the trash can before dropping the dress in, if she never wore another dress again it would be too soon. 

‘Are you going to give me more than that? Or do we have to play 20 questions?’ She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled a pair of socks on before crossing her legs. 

‘He’s still in the hospital.’ 

‘Good.’ Nora stood up and looked around the room for her shoes. 

Frank reached out and held her wrist. His hand was gentle and just gave the idea of him preventing her from leaving the room. 

‘If he’s in the hospital then he’s not going anywhere. It’s perfect…’

‘It’s not.’ 

‘There’s always a problem with you, isn’t there?’ She sighed and chastised herself for acting like the little girl she’d claimed she wasn’t moments before. 

‘They think you put him there.’ Frank let go of her wrist and watched as a look of perplexity came over her face. ‘They have CCTV of you entering the building with him, as far as they’re aware you were the last one with him…’

‘Oh.’ Nora sat down. For once, she didn’t have the words. ‘What do we do?’

‘For now, we do nothing. They’ve got people watching your apartment… and your work.’

‘Shit, work…’ Nora hadn’t given her job a second thought since all of this had happened. She was definitely fired this time. She picked her phone up to check for any missed calls, but the screen was blank. She surmised that the battery had run out at some point during the day – she’d have known when if she hadn’t been held captive in the bathroom. 

‘You can’t turn that on.’ Frank took the phone out of her hand and put it on the bedside table. ‘You’re a wanted woman now.’

Nora almost laughed at the notion of her being wanted for something like that. Her mind flashed back to the memory of Gus lying on his apartment floor, bloodied and beaten. And then she remembered that, while she hadn’t caused those injuries, she had fought back. She remembered she scratched as his face and his arms. Her hand went up to her neck again, grazing at the redness that still wrapped around her throat.

‘He attacked me…’ Her breathing started to increase and she felt lie her airways were closing up, like his grip was on her again. She could feel the air being squeezed out of her, his hands around her throat, those cruel eyes looking down at her. It was like she was there.

‘Nora, breathe…’ Frank kneeled in front of her and rested his hand on her knee. ‘Look at me.’

She placed her hand on top of his and slowed her breathing down. ‘We can’t let him get away with this…’

‘We won’t.’ He cursed himself for being such a sucker for a damsel in distress. 

Nora lifted her hand from his and ran it though his hair. ‘Thank you.’ She kissed him on the cheek and paused, their faces just inches away from one another.  
‘You don’t have to thank me…’ He stood up. 

‘I know.’ Nora held onto his hand and kept him in front of her. ‘It’s not all about you.’ She reached for his belt and paused a moment, giving him the opportunity to tell her to stop – he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always welcome. Let me know if you’re enjoying this, or if I need to go in a different direction :)


	10. Chapter 10

Frank let his hands fall at his sides and he tilted his head down to watch as Nora’s light fingers worked on undoing his belt and his jeans. She flashed her doe eyes up at him and he felt himself stiffen at that, all it took was one look from that innocent-looking girl (woman – he corrected) and he was putty in her hands. 

Nora kept her eyes on Frank as she licked the tip of his cock. She felt a little nervous and self-conscious. It had been easy the night before, alcohol always makes for a good ice breaker. She worried that he’d pull away at any moment and leave her sat there, rejected. She closed her eyes as she took his length into her mouth and the low grunt that came out of his mouth gave her a little more confidence. 

Frank rested a hand on the back of Nora’s head. He enjoyed the warmth of her mouth and the silkiness of her hair as he entangled his fingers in her tresses. He stood as still as he could, letting her go at her own pace. He could so easily lose control, but he didn’t want to hurt her. And he didn’t want to scare her. He felt her pace increase as she took more and more of him in her mouth. As she moved faster he couldn’t help but thrust his hips forward slightly. His fingers entangled more of her hair, but he resisted the urge to pull her closer. 

Nora jumped a little when Frank thrust forward, but she wanted him to take control of the situation – of her. She picked up her pace a little and enjoyed the feeling of his hand at the back of her head, almost like he was holding her there. She wanted him to be a little rougher with her. She pushed forward a little more, but she’d met her limit – especially with her still-sore throat. She pulled away for a moment and was met with a firm kiss as Frank gently pushed her back onto the bed.

He slowly undid her jeans and slid them off of her legs. He pushed the t-shirt off of her torso and kissed her slim body down to the waistband of her underwear, before removing it. Nora could feel her face flush as he gently dipped one of his large fingers into her wet slit; she moaned and spread her legs a little wider for him. He stroked his spare hand over her stomach and hips, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. 

Nora tried to signal for him to move a little faster, but he continued to gently stroke her wetness, like she was a delicate little flower. She thrust her hips up a little to meet his touch, but it did nothing to speed him along. He took his time, teasing her clit and driving her mad. 

‘Frank… please…’ She circled her hips and bit her bottom lip. 

The hand on her stomach held her in place and he continued to tease her slowly. He smiled at the needy whimpers coming out of her mouth; last night had been a blur and he was determined to enjoy every moment, and to make sure she did too. Frank positioned himself next to her on the bed and kissed the curve of her neck. 

‘…please…’ 

‘Tell me what you want me to do, sweetheart…’

The feeling of his light breath on her neck made her shiver and she couldn’t form a coherent sentence. The only response she could form was to lift her hips slightly. He continued to kiss her neck gently, careful not to hurt her. She could feel herself getting closer, two fingers screwed in and out of her pussy and his thumb expertly rubbed at her clit. She clenched at the sheets beneath her body as she felt herself tighten around his thick fingers. She was just on the edge, waiting for him to tip her over. She was so close to that explosion of pleasure, so close to seeing stars. Just as she arched her back, ready to let out another moan he pulled his hand away. 

Nora opened her mouth to protest, but was pleasantly surprised when Frank rolled on top of her and replaced the void his fingers had left with his thick cock. She parted her lips to moan and gripped onto his upper arm as she arched her back, encouraging him to push deeper. 

Frank couldn’t help but grunt when he finally thrust his full length into her. He was completely intoxicated by the feel of her skin and the look in her eyes. He picked up his pace and was met with louder moans from Nora when he spread one of her legs further apart. He bent down to kiss her neck and along her collar bone. 

She felt controlled, safe and in control all at the same time. The feeling of his weight on top of her and his dick screwing in and out of her was like heaven, but there was something reassuring about him as well. No matter how much bigger and stronger he was than her, she was in control of this situation. She knew he’d stop if she wanted him to. She didn’t want him to. As his pace quickened, so did her breathing. She squeezed tighter on his muscled arms, arched her back and wrapped a leg around his waist. She felt herself contract around him and a large wave of pleasure erupted throughout her body. While she was in the throes of her own orgasm he let himself go too. 

Her breathing started to even out and their bodies stayed pretty much as they had been, just more relaxed. She expected this time to end pretty much the same as last time, he’d fallen asleep almost immediately, but this time he stroked the hair away from her face and kissed her gently. She hadn’t been expecting such a tender moment from someone like him, not just because of who he was and what he’d done but because he had no reason to have any feelings for her. It was just a casual one time (two now) thing. 

Once he’d rolled off of her and pulled her in for a hug her mind started to analyse the kiss. She started to think about what it could mean, whether he liked her, whether this could be a thing. She made herself snap out of it and quickly got up to go to the bathroom, she closed the door and filled the sink with cold water. It wasn’t the time or the place to be having those kinds of thoughts or feelings. He wouldn’t be an easy person to be with. How would it work? She gave herself a metaphorical kick and dunked her head under the water. She couldn’t think about this right now, it was not the time to go crazy over a life she could never have with him.


	11. Chapter 11

Nora stirred awake and reached for the water bottle on the bedside table, realising it was empty she groaned and perched herself up on her elbows. She looked over at the digital clock, the green glow of the digits showed her it was 4:53. It was still dark out and she was tired, the kind of tired that makes the world feel hazy and surreal. She turned her head to look at Frank, she still marvelled at how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping; she wondered whether his dreams were as peaceful as his face made out, or whether he was quietly reliving the torment as she herself so often did. 

Nora quietly slipped out of bed, being careful not to wake him. She pulled on her jeans and t-shirt and slipped her feet into her boots, leaving the room as quietly as she could. Nora swallowed as she clicked the door closed, her throat was almost painfully dry now and it reminded her that she needed to find water. She vaguely remembered there being a vending machine downstairs near the carpark.

She rummaged through her purse for cash as she made the quick journey down the stairs, she was pleasantly surprised to find more than enough for a couple of bottles of water. When was the last time she’d actually had something to drink? Nora was in the middle of mentally tracking her liquid consumption of the previous day when the world went dark all of a sudden. Not dark in a “knocked-out” kind of way, dark in a “someone-just-put-a-bag-over-your-head” kind of way. She dropped her purse while trying to keep her balance amid all of the confusion.

As her hands reached up to remove the offending item from her head she felt strong hands gripping her wrists and twisting her arms behind her back. She was shoved forward onto, what she could only guess was, the vending machine. The force knocked the air out of her, and knocked several items loose in the machine. Nora struggled against the man’s strong physique as she felt rope painfully tightening around her wrists.

Nora was disorientated as she felt herself being dragged backwards, and amongst all of the panic and fear she remembered thinking she would never have that drink of water she so desperately needed. That thought was short-lived and the panic soon set back in when she was roughly lifted off of the ground. She tried to cry out for help, but her words were hoarse and croaky. Even if someone had been able to hear her quiet cries, a hand was swiftly clamped over her mouth as she was bundled into a nearby vehicle. Once the engine started the hand was removed from her mouth and she was shoved forward onto her front, free to squirm and hoarsely scream as much as she lied.

She struggled, imagining it must have been quite an amusing sight for them; her flopping around on her front, unable to turn herself over because her hands were tied behind her back. She couldn’t believe this was her life now. How many times would she be restrained against her will? She continued to struggle against the restraints until she felt a large hand grab her upper arm. The next, and last, thing she remembered was a sharp prick on her arm and her vision going fuzzy.

**

Nora gasped as she woke up, shocked by the feeling of ice-cold water on her face. She tried to move her hands up to her face to wipe it away, but she quickly realised they were bound to the chair she was apparently sitting on. A million thoughts and feelings whirred through her head: where was she, how did she get here, what was happening?

Just as she started to get her bearings she was splashed again – not exactly what she meant when she had been wishing for a drink of water earlier. She squinted her eyes and coughed loudly. The luxurious surroundings of the sitting room were in stark contrast to her dishevelled appearance and the rope that was holding her in place.

‘I think she’s awake, Daniella.’

She didn’t recognise the man’s voice, and her vision was too blurry to make out whether it was anyone she had seen before. She also didn’t recognise the name “Daniella”, she definitely didn’t know a Daniella.

‘Good.’

Nora could just about make out the figure of a woman lunging towards her. She flinched and watched as the larger figure, the man she assumed had spoken, held the woman back before she could strike out at her.

‘She needs to be punished, daddy!’ The words came out like those of a stroppy teenager.

‘Shh, sweetheart…’

Nora’s vision was starting to focus now and she could see the larger figure comforting the smaller figure.

‘What do you want from me?’ Nora’s words came out like those of an elderly smoker, and she was reminded once again just how thirsty she was.

‘You hurt my Gus!’ Daniella almost spat the words out.

Her Gus? Nora couldn’t remember reading about a girlfriend, fiancée or wife when she’d been doing her research. ‘He hurt me…’ Nora bent her neck to the side to expose the bruising.

‘You deserved it, you’re a dirty slut like the rest of them!’

Nora felt Daniella’s palm connect with her cheek. The slap stung a little, and Nora felt her eyes start to water. ‘The rest of them?’ She straightened herself as much as she could and looked the woman in the eye for the first time. ‘Like my sister?’

Daniella laughed at her and took a step towards the chair. ‘You and your perfect sister, she deserved everything she got…’

‘Daniella…’ The older man put a hand on the young woman’s shoulder.

Nora clenched her jaw and gave Daniella a good once over with her eyes before focussing on the man in the background, the so-called “daddy”. Even though she hadn’t recognised his voice, she did recognise his face – Carlton Beaumont, Gus’ father.

‘What did she ever do to you?’ Nora wanted to know, she wanted to keep the crazed woman talking. What possible motive could she have? Elle had been the kindest person she’d ever known, she wouldn’t hurt a fly.

‘Other than trying to steal my beloved from me?’ Daniella choked back her tears.

Nora couldn’t believe her eyes, her sister was dead and she was the one crying?! She realised that there was little point in trying to reason with her, but she wanted to buy some time for Frank to realise she was missing from the room and hopefully figure out where she was – it was a long shot, but it was the only she hope she had. ‘I promise, I wasn’t after your… beloved…’

‘I know…’ Daniella wiped a tear from under her eye and walk towards Nora again, this time Carlton did nothing to keep her back. ‘You think he’s the one who hurt your sister and the others.’

Nora opened her mouth, but there were no words. It had been him, hadn’t it? They were all linked to him one way or another. He’d been the last one to see them alive. Up to this moment there had been no question that he had been the one responsible for their deaths, and the suffering they had surely experienced beforehand. If it hadn’t been him… ‘You?’ The surprise Nora felt must have been written all over her face.

‘You think I’m not capable of something like that?’ Daniella grabbed at Nora’s face and squeezed, her long nails painfully pressed into her skin and she shoved Nora’s head back as she released. ‘Everyone always underestimates me.’

‘Daniella, sweetheart.’ Carlton wrapped an arm around her waist. ‘You need to rest, you’ve had too much excitement.’

Nora watched on as the two of them exited the room, quickly followed by two of the muscular looking men, she assumed they had been the ones who’d shoved her in the back of that van. The door closed and she was alone, tied up in the dark. Perfect.


	12. Chapter 12

Nora had been alone in that dark room for, what felt like, hours. Her mind had been racing with what the actual fuck she had gotten herself involved in. Gus was definitely a violent man, he’d almost strangled her to death after all, but apparently not a murderer. That was according to Daniella, at least. Nora wasn’t sure whether she could trust or believe anything that woman said, she was so unhinged and detached from reality.

Nora had been tugging at the restraints around her wrists, they had started to loosen somewhat, but still not enough for her to break free from them. She remembered watching a documentary once about what to do in a hostage situation, something about tensing your wrists when they’re being bound so that it’s easier to escape. Funny how none of that seemingly useless information learned from documentaries and movies comes to the forefront of the mind when you’re being bundled into the back of a van. Even the self-defence classes she had been to hadn’t helped her instincts and she’d attended those for months.

She carried on working at the bounds around her wrists, not even thinking about how she would unbind her ankles from the chair. She was also coming to the harsh realisation that there was a very slim chance Frank would figure out where she was. She was there and she had no idea where ‘there’ was. Since when had she become so dependent on the help of a man? Wasn’t she going to carry out this entire plan by herself in the beginning?

Her wrists carried out pulling at the restraints, more time passed and she eventually heard footsteps getting gradually closer to her room. The door swung open and the lights unceremoniously lit up the room. She squinted her eyes, adjusted to the harshness. She smelled Danielle’s sickly sweet perfume before she saw her. She was alone this time, in the sense she didn’t have “daddy” with her, she did still have 2 impossibly muscular looking men with her.

‘I’ve been thinking about what to do with you…’

Nora wanted to quip that she could just let her go, but she didn’t want to agitate the woman. Especially once she noticed she was holding some kind of jewelled dagger. Rich people are the weirdest.

‘I could put you in the hospital, just like you did to Gus…’

Daniella walked around the room and stood behind Nora.

‘I could be quick, or I could be slow…’

The cool metal of the blade rested on Nora’s pale skin and she shuddered at the feeling. She wasn’t in control, this maniac could slit her throat then and there and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

‘Leave us!’

The words came out sharp and abrupt, Nora had to stop herself from jumping lest she end up impaling herself on the blade that was dangerously close to her throat.

The two men left the room and quietly closed the door. Nora was surprised to hear their steps disappear down the hallway. She’d assumed they’d stay close by.

‘You don’t have to do this…’

‘You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do.’ Daniella paced the room and eventually walked back into Nora’s eye line. ‘You think I won’t do it?’

Nora gulped, she really didn’t want to die today, but she had no idea how to placate this madwoman. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.’

‘She was supposed to be the last one, your sister. I didn’t want to do this anymore.’ She started pacing in front of Nora as she said a few inaudible words. ‘I didn’t want to hurt anyone else, but you just couldn’t stop… he just couldn’t stop…’

‘I’ll stop, I can go home and forget any of this ever happened.’ Nora didn’t expect her to believe that, she didn’t believe it herself. She knew the moment she got free from that goddamn chair she would do everything to get out of this situation alive.

Daniella continued to rant and pace, Nora couldn’t figure out what she was doing but it seemed like she was arguing with herself. ‘You’ll be the last, then we’ll be married, then it’ll all be okay. We’ll be happy.’

Nora closed her eyes as she continued to struggle with the binds at her wrists. They had started to feel looser, but she still couldn’t get free. Her eyes shot open when she felt Daniella grab the hair at the back of her head.

‘No loose ends.’ Daniella whispered those words into Nora’s ear before she held the blade at her throat again.

Everything from that point seemed to happen in slow motion. Daniella added pressure to Nora’s throat, the stinging sensation was so painful she wasn’t sure she could cry out. She had one last tug at the binds around her wrists, and in a stroke of luck her hands were free. She shoved at Daniella with what strength she had left and watched as the shocked woman stumbled back into a lamp table. As Nora watched Daniella fall over, taking the table and the lamp with her, she felt her chair topple over. With her ankles still bound to the chair she couldn’t do anything to stop herself. She tried putting her arms out, but to no avail. Her head cracked on the floor and she felt a jolt of pain through her body.

‘You bitch!’ Daniella pushed herself up off of the floor and lunged towards Nora. She dropped the knife and wrapped her hands around Nora’s throat.

What is it with these people and strangling? Nora tensed at her neck and scratched at Daniella’s arms. As she writhed around on the floor trying to get free, she felt her ankles slip off of the end of the chair legs. She almost laughed at their ineptitude for not securing her legs properly, and then at her own for not simply trying to stand up from the chair and slip off sooner. She managed to kick at Daniella’s abdomen, which did the trick. Nora gasped for air as she rose to her feet. She touched at her neck, the cut wasn’t deep but she was bleeding.

Moments later, Daniella was on her again. She was slapping at her face, and in the general vicinity of her person – just trying to cause some pain. The woman was shrieking the whole time, but Nora couldn’t make out the words.

What happened next was a blur, but somehow Nora had managed to pick up the dagger. As Daniella lunged forward for another assault she found herself impaled on her own weapon. The shrieking had stopped and Daniella quietly sat back on her heels as she looked down at her wound. She reached down for the handle of the blade.

‘No, don’t!’ Nora reached out, in an attempt to stop her from removing it.

She was too late. The blood gushed out of the wound and Daniella slumped on the floor in front of Nora.

Nora was in shock. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the woman as she tried to play the moments back in her head. Had she done that? Had she meant to do that? She’d told herself for months that she was capable of killing, that it was what she wanted. Now she just felt sick, her sister’s killer was dead and she didn’t feel the sense of justice she had planned to feel.

She didn’t know how long she had been sat there, staring at Daniella’s lifeless body. It wasn’t until the doors flung open that she was snapped out of her thoughts.

‘What have you done?’ Carlton rushed into the room, followed by the two large men.

‘I, I… I didn’t mean…’

‘You didn’t mean to gut her?’ He pulled Daniella onto his lap and placed a hand over the wound. He was too late, of course he was too late. The carpet was soaked in her blood. ‘My darling, my darling…’

Nora couldn’t move, she should have been trying to escape this situation but her body wouldn’t let her. She just watched on as the man sobbed over Daniella’s body. He stroked at her hair and ran his hand over her eyes.

‘She was the most precious thing in my life…’ Carlton slowly lowered Daniella’s body and moved over to Nora. In moments his hands were around her throat, but this time she couldn’t fight back. Her eyes wouldn’t leave the sight in front of her, she couldn’t stop looking at what she had done.

‘You’ll go straight to hell for this…’ He squeezed tighter and tighter around Nora’s throat. His words of hate for her were mixed in with his soft words of love for the woman lying in the pool of blood.

Nora closed her eyes, waiting for her life to slip away from her as the pressure around her neck tightened.

Three gunshots made her eyes snap open. Carlton had joined his Daniella in a slumped position on the carpet. The two men were also on the floor. Nora lifted her hands up to her face to find a warm, sticky substance covering her. She wanted to scream, but the sound wouldn’t come out. In her head she was screaming, it was all she could hear.

Her body tensed up when she caught sight of a dark figure moving towards her. She pressed her back up against the wall, as if that was going to help her, and closed her eyes as she waited for the next person to try to take her life from her. Instead, she was scooped up off of the floor. Her limbs were limp and her head was foggy, but she knew it was Frank. He’d managed to find her.

Nora slipped in and out of consciousness as she was carried out of the house. She heard the odd gunshot and heard shouting, but she couldn’t actually make out what was happening. Fleetingly, she wondered whether she was actually alive at all.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to wrap this up, I've written the ending about 15 times. I hope this is satisfying enough of an ending for anyone still reading (endings are definitely my weak point!). As always, feedback is always welcome :)

Nora’s eyes fluttered open at intervals. She noticed when Frank had laid her down in the van; she watched for a few minutes as buildings whizzed by the windows; the next time she opened her eyes the buildings had turned into trees. She had no idea where they were going, she knew they wouldn’t be heading back to the motel that had been their base for the past few days. 

When Nora finally woke up properly the first thing she noticed was the warmth of the morning sun on her face and the smell of fresh air. It was the smell that threw her; where on earth were they? Living in the city, you get used to a certain version of “fresh” air and this was not it. Nora slowly sat up and was surprised to see double doors just in front of her that opened up onto a view of trees – lots of trees; she might even hazard to think she was in a forest. How far had they driven?

Slowly, she slid out of the bed and had a look around the room. She could see that she had been sleeping in the middle of the bed, and deduced that Frank had not slept next to her. Was he even here? She opened the top drawer of the dresser; men’s t-shirts and sweaters were folded neatly, but Nora could tell just by looking at them that they weren’t Franks. They weren’t the sort of thing he would have worn. 

As she looked up from the dresser she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She grimaced when she saw the angry looking marks around her neck. Three times in the same week various people had tried to squeeze the life out of her. 

Her bag was seated on the chair at the other end of the room. She took off the over-sized t-shirt she'd slept in and dressed herself quickly before heading out of the room. She hadn’t heard a sound inside the house; the only sounds she’d head since waking up were bird song and leaves in the breeze. 

For a moment Nora wondered whether Frank had left her there alone. That was until she caught a glimpse of the back of his head as she rounded a corner into the sitting room. 

‘Hey.’ Nora’s voice was coarse and raspy, it caught her off guard; as did the soreness she felt at saying just that one word. 

‘Hey.’ Frank quickly stood up to face her. ‘How’re you feeling?’

‘Like I’ve been choked half to death.’ She smiled as she ran a hand through her long hair; there wasn’t even the hint of a smile from him. ‘Thank you.’ She looked down to the floor as images from the previous night ran through her mind. ‘I’d be dead if you hadn’t found me.’

‘It’s nothing…’

‘It’s everything.’ 

The awkward silence hung in the air for a few moments and Nora knew she needed to find a way to change the subject. 

‘Whose place is this?’ She had looked around for pictures but hadn’t had any joy figuring out who it belonged to.

‘A friend’s.’

The silence between them seemed to last forever. Nora had so many things she wanted to say. She wanted to thank him again. She wanted to hold him. She wanted to let him know how she felt, but her mind couldn’t put together a coherent sentence. She opened her mouth to say something; she wasn’t sure what would have come out. 

‘I got these for you.’ Frank handed her a manila envelope. 

Nora gave him a quizzical look as she emptied the contents onto the table. Documents: passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate – she looked at the name on the birth certificate. 

‘Who’s Laura Reece?’

‘It’s you.’

She opened the passport; sure enough, it was a photograph of her. 

‘It’s too dangerous to go back to your old life.’

‘Where will I go?’ She turned the documents over in her hands. 

‘Anywhere you want.’ 

‘New York...’

‘Anywhere but there. It’s not safe.’

She wanted to ask whether she would see him again, but she couldn’t bring herself to come off as so naive. Of course she’d never see him again; the only thing that had brought them together was his compulsion to help a damsel in distress. She decided it was stupid of her to think of what they had in any other way. 

**

The bar was loud with voices and music, just how Nora liked it. She wiped a puddle of beer off of the bar and tucked the cloth into her back pocket as she served her next customer. She’d been in Mid-Nowhere for just over a year and her life had been uneventful ever since. And while she didn’t miss the threat of life and limb, she did miss her old life every now and again. 

She’d chosen her newly adopted home town by closing her eyes and picking a random spot on a map. Once she’d gotten on the train she hadn’t looked back, but she would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about Frank. She’d had fantasies about him turning up and sweeping her off of her feet; it’s difficult not to feel attached to someone who’s saved your life more than once. 

‘Hey, Laura.’ Bill, one of the regulars, waved her over for a top up. 

‘Same again, Bill.’

‘Yep.’ He smiled at her as she re-filled his glass with the bourbon he always had. ‘When are you gonna let me take you out?’

She smiled and shook her head, he asked her out every couple of weeks – on the days he’d had enough to drink to have enough courage. ‘Oh Bill, you couldn’t handle me.’ She expertly dodged offending him and moved onto her next customer. 

The busy nights were always the quickest and Nora was always surprised when closing time crept up on her without her realising. The bar had about half emptied out and she’d had a moment to clear some glasses up before returning behind the bar to serve the remaining customers: three beers, two glasses of chardonnay, and four whisky chasers. She completed the order and moved onto the last person remaining at the bar. 

‘What can I get you?’ Her question was directed at the back of the man’s head. She shifted her weight onto her other foot as she waited for him to turn around. 

‘Hey.’

‘Frank?’ She wasn’t sure why his name had come out of her mouth as a question. She knew it was him, no one she’d ever met in her life looked like Frank, and she’d know him anywhere. She hoped that the hint of a smile on his face meant that he wasn’t there to give her bad news. She wasn’t even going to ask how he’d found her; he was Frank Castle, capable of much more complicated tasks than that. ‘Why are you here?’

‘To see you.’ He gently stroked his hand against hers.


End file.
